{"id":2627774,"date":"2026-07-10T05:56:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T09:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-five-days-that-made-us-believe-in-sports-again\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T06:02:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T10:02:54","slug":"the-five-days-that-made-us-believe-in-sports-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-five-days-that-made-us-believe-in-sports-again\/","title":{"rendered":"The five days that made us believe in sports again"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-five-days-that-made-us-believe-in-sports-again%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2627774&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Over a remarkable 120-hour period from june 29 to July 3, an remarkable convergence of sporting events unfolded, creating a historic sports moment. Several major upsets occurred: four-time World Cup champion Germany was defeated by Paraguay, teh Netherlands lost to Morocco, and the U.S. men&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aussie-womens-soccer-team-goes-undefeated-with-5-biological-male-players\/\" title=\"The Australian women&#039;s soccer team remains unbeaten, featuring 5 transgender ...s\">soccer team achieved<\/a> its first World cup knockout victory in 24 years.Simultaneously, notable figures across different sports appeared-Kawhi Leonard returned to the Toronto Raptors, LeBron James hinted at switching teams for his 24th NBA season, Serena Williams made a surprising return to tennis at Wimbledon after four years, and Harry Kane solidified his status as England&#8217;s greatest footballer. <\/p>\n<p>On the soccer front, Norway\u2019s win highlighted rising star Erling Haaland, while the U.S. showcased a dramatic victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina, marked by a stunning free-kick goal from Malik Tillman. Despite a tough defeat to Belgium, US soccer&#8217;s achievements were celebrated. Meanwhile, basketball icon LeBron James considered new team options amid his career trajectory. Tennis legend Serena Williams attempted a comeback at Wimbledon, though she exited early. In football, Harry Kane&#8217;s performances for England garnered praise, and Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe delivered heroic moments for Argentina and France, respectively-Messi&#8217;s team narrowly escaped an upset against cape Verde after an remarkable goal, reminiscent of a David vs. Goliath story. <\/p>\n<p>This frenetic sports stretch was filled with shocks, iconic performances, and historic milestones, capturing the excitement and unpredictability that make sports so compelling.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the span of just 120 hours, from June 29 to July 3, we witnessed a cultural occurrence so unprecedented it was almost uncanny: all of the planets in the sports universe aligned. Four-time World Cup-winner<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/germany\/\"> Germany<\/a> lost to Paraguay (<em>Paraguay!<\/em>). The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/netherlands\/\">Netherlands<\/a>, so often the nearly men of international <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/soccer\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1418\">soccer<\/a>, fell to Morocco, and the United States won its first World Cup knockout match in 24 years. Meanwhile, in the world of professional <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/basketball\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"416\">basketball<\/a>, Kawhi Leonard returned to the Toronto Raptors \u2014 mere weeks after my New York Knicks won the NBA Championship for the first time in 53 years. <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4643218\/apache-helicopter-pilots-suspended-after-south-carolina-beach-air-show\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Apache helicopter pilots suspended after South Carolina beach air show<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/technology\/4642733\/privacy-advocates-fret-meta-image-tool-public-accounts\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Privacy advocates fret over Meta image tool that works on public accounts<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4642710\/susan-collins-safe-bet-maine-tiana-lowe-doescher\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Susan Collins is still a safe bet for Maine: Tiana Lowe Doescher<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What made this stretch so incredible was not only<strong> <\/strong>the head-spinning number of huge <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/sports\/\">sports<\/a> stories during what is usually one of the slowest times on the sports calendar but that several of these stories overlapped. Some of the most transcendent figures across a range of sports were all gathered together on our screens at the same time. It was a real-life sports version of <em>Midnight in Paris<\/em> (2011) \u2014 but instead of meeting Earnest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, and Gertrude Stein in close succession, we were running into LeBron James, Serena Williams, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappe. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\">New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns celebrates during the New York Knicks\u2019 NBA championship parade Thursday, June 18, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Yuki Iwamura)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/AP26169664917878.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns celebrates during the New York Knicks\u2019 NBA championship parade Thursday, June 18, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Yuki Iwamura)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s start with soccer:<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/norway\/\"> Norway\u2019s<\/a> win over Ivory Coast offered us a glimpse of the figure who is quickly becoming one of the sport\u2019s most popular players: Erling Haaland, or \u201cSoccer Thor,\u201d as I like to call him \u2014 a 6-foot-5-inch goal-scoring machine who is built like a Viking and who likes dressing up as a cowboy. (If you don\u2019t know what I\u2019m talking about, Google his social media and check out some of his posts from when the Norway national team was in Texas. You can thank me later.)<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As for our very own Team USA, on July 1, we beat Bosnia <em>and<\/em> Herzegovina. (I\u2019m not the one who came up with that joke, but I can\u2019t resist repeating it.) Folarin Balogun scored his third goal of the tournament, only to be ejected after the most egregious officiating I can remember since \u2026 since, well, three weeks ago, when the referees somehow did <em>not <\/em>eject the San Antonio Spurs\u2019 Victor Wembanyama for nearly decapitating the Knicks\u2019 Jalen Brunson. (Team USA \u2026 the New York Knicks \u2026 you can\u2019t tell what my sports biases are, can you?) The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >god-awful red card<\/a> on Balogun forced us to play a man down for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/we-literally-make-fun-of-everybody-the-offend-everyone-comedy-tour\/\" title=\"\u2018We Literally Make Fun Of Everybody\u2019: The Offend Everyone Comedy Tour\">final half hour<\/a> of a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/world-cup\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1397\">World Cup<\/a> knockout match. What was amazing was that we didn\u2019t just hold our fragile 1-0 lead like we were a hockey team trying to kill a penalty.<strong> <\/strong>In the 82nd minute, Malik Tillman curled a free kick over the Bosnian wall in a thing of beauty that I could watch nearly as many times as I\u2019ve seen the replay of the Knicks\u2019 OG Anunoby\u2019s tip-in during the NBA Finals. Given what was on the line, and what we had to do to get there, it\u2019s the best win \u2014 and featured the single most spectacular goal \u2014 in U.S. men\u2019s national soccer team history. Yes, I know: four days later in Seattle, Belgium beat us 4-1. It was ugly, and, frankly, we were lucky that it wasn\u2019t <em>6<\/em>-1. But losing to a good Belgium team on a rough night doesn\u2019t undo all the good that U.S. soccer accomplished during these past two weeks.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\">United States\u2019 Folarin Balogun tries to control the ball during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match against Belgium in Seattle, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo\/Manu Fernandez)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/AP26188049047785.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">United States\u2019 Folarin Balogun tries to control the ball during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match against Belgium in Seattle, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo\/Manu Fernandez)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While national and international soccer was having a moment, one of the most famous non-soccer players in the world suddenly popped up on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-has-seen-massive-traffic-drop-since-trump-left-office\/\" title=\"Media Has Seen Massive Traffic Drop Since Trump Left Office\">news feeds<\/a> and said, \u201cHey, don\u2019t forget about me!\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lebron-james\/\">LeBron James <\/a>told the NBA\u2019s premier franchise that he would be moving on: After eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, the player who has redefined longevity in professional basketball was choosing a new chapter for his upcoming, and unprecedented, 24th season. We still don\u2019t know where that new chapter will take place, but two possible destinations remain in play: the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Golden State would be the most exciting outcome, because it would mean LeBron finally getting to play with Steph Curry, his longtime rival and now close friend. Cleveland would be the most heartwarming outcome, because it would give LeBron a storybook homecoming ending to his career. Either one would be enormous; that both are on the table makes his decision to leave the Lakers a seismic one.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\">Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James salutes public address announcer Lawrence Tanter prior to an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Mark J. Terrill,File)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/AP26167798690887.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James. (AP Photo\/Mark J. Terrill,File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then, while soccer and basketball were soaking up the spotlight, one of the most famous athletes in the world, who is neither a soccer nor a basketball player, came back into our lives again to say, \u201cHey, don\u2019t forget about <em>me!<\/em>\u201d Twenty-three-time <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tennis\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2235\">Grand Slam<\/a> champion Serena Williams made her singles comeback at Wimbledon after four years away from Grand Slam singles. Though she lost in three tight sets to 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint, her first-round exit doesn\u2019t take away from the fact that Serena, a 44-year-old mother of two, took on a player half her age and was surprisingly competitive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But then soccer quickly snatched the mic back. The man who can now lay claim to being the greatest English player of all time \u2014 Harry Kane \u2014 single-handedly saved England from what would have been a disastrous loss to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. David Beckham may have more commercials, but Kane is going to finish his career with more credentials. There\u2019s also the fact that his stellar World Cup performance is cementing his status as England\u2019s most beloved Harry (sorry, Prince Harry).<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/op-eds\/4634696\/world-cup-america-wins-back-the-world\/\">OPINION: WORLD CUP REVEALS HOW AMERICA WINS BACK THE WORLD <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\">Argentina\u2019s Lionel Messi takes a free kick during a World Cup match. (Odd ANDERSEN\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/LA.Sports.Messi_.071526.jpg?w=696&#8243; height=&#8221;658&#8243; width=&#8221;1024&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Argentina\u2019s Lionel Messi takes a free kick during a World Cup match. (AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But wait \u2014 there was more. That\u2019s because the all-time greatest player of the world\u2019s most popular sport \u2014 Lionel Messi of Inter Miami and the Argentina national team \u2014 and the presumptive <em>next <\/em>GOAT once Messi walks away \u2014 Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid and the France national team \u2014 both delivered during the stretch when their teams needed them most. Mbappe\u2019s exploits were more ho-hum, in part because we\u2019re becoming so accustomed to them but also because France was never in true danger. But Argentina needed every ounce of Messi\u2019s brilliance to fend off Cape Verde \u2014 that\u2019s right, <em>Cape Verde<\/em>, a country that (c\u2019mon, admit it) you couldn\u2019t find on a map before this World Cup. We overuse the David vs. Goliath metaphor in sports, but if ever there was a situation where it applied, it was in this match, where the soccer equivalent of the Jamaican bobsledding team in <em>Cool Runnings <\/em>(1993) somehow took the world\u2019s No. 1-ranked team and the defending World Cup champions into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/black-lives-matter-curriculum-is-bludgeoning-black-history-month\/\" title=\"Black Lives Matter Curriculum Is Bludgeoning Black History Month\">extra time<\/a>. And even after Argentina went ahead in extra time, Cape Verde somehow tied it <em>yet again, <\/em>this time with <em>the <\/em>goal of the tournament, an absolutely sensational strike from Sidny Lopes Cabral that was so unexpected and so out-of-this-world that he immediately ran off the field and leaped into the stands to hug his girlfriend as if he\u2019d just won Wimbledon. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Was this the greatest 120 hours of sports of all time? I have no idea, but I do know this: it was incredible to watch as it unfolded. Do you believe in miracles? Maybe! Do you believe in sports? After <em>these <\/em>five days?! <em>Yes!<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Daniel Ross Goodman (<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DanRossGoodman\">@DanRossGoodman<\/a>) is a <\/em>Washington Examiner c<em>ontributing writer and teaches theology and religious studies at St. John\u2019s University. His next book, <\/em>Dante\u2019s Guide to Life: How The Divine Comedy Can Change Our Fortunes, Our World, and Ourselves, <em>will be published this fall by Angelico Press.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 120 hours, sports world\u2019s incredible cosmic alignment unfolded<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2854,"featured_media":2627775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LA.Sports.Messi_.071526.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[3754,50761,25824,3847],"class_list":["post-2627774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-comeback","tag-inspiration-2","tag-motivation","tag-sports"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LA.Sports.Messi_.071526.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2627774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2854"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2627774"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2627774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2627778,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2627774\/revisions\/2627778"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2627775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2627774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2627774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2627774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}